JPH09262440A - Filter apparatus and filtering method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a filter apparatus and a filter treating method reducing possibility of entering of contamination or loss of a sample. SOLUTION: This filter apparatus consists of a container 1 of A having an opening at an upper end part and a cap 2 inserted into the opening part of the container 1 of A in freely attachably and detachably. The cap 2 has a through-hole 2a in the up and down directions and also a filter body 3 is arranged on cap portion in the vicinity of the through-hole 2a. The container 1 of A enables to insert into even the upper part opening 2b of the cap 2 and also into the upper part opening 2a in freely attachably and detachably.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a filter device used for filtering a sample and a filtering method using the same. In the present invention, the term "filter" refers to a selection device that selectively passes a substance within a range satisfying a predetermined condition and substantially reduces a substance outside the range (for example, McGraw-Hill Science and Technology Dictionary, 2nd edition, p. 1395 (1985), Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun).

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, when a sample is filtered, the sample is passed through a filter member, or the sample once filtered is further filtered (the same kind of filtering or different kinds of filtering). At that time, it was necessary to transfer the sample from one container to another container by using other equipment such as a dropper.

[0003]

Such a conventional filter treatment is complicated and not only requires a great deal of labor or a long time, but also causes contamination and / or loss of the sample itself in the treatment. was there.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a filter device or a filter processing method which solves the above-mentioned drawbacks of the prior art.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a filter device or a filter processing method which reduces the possibility of contamination contamination or sample loss.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a filter device or a filter processing method capable of easily and efficiently performing a plurality of times of filter processing.

[0007]

As a result of earnest research, the inventor of the present invention has found that a lid having a filter body and a container detachably attached to the upper and lower openings of the lid are used in combination. Have found that it is extremely effective in achieving the above object.

The filter device of the present invention is based on the above findings, and more specifically, it is an A container having an opening at its upper end and a lid body detachably fitted in the opening of the A container. A lid having a through-hole in the up-and-down direction and a filter body being arranged in a lid portion near the through-hole; and the A container being an upper opening or a lower opening of the lid. It is also characterized in that it can be detachably inserted.

According to the present invention, further, (a) an A container having an opening at the upper end thereof, and a lid body detachably fitted in the opening of the A container, the through hole being provided in the vertical direction. Have,
And a lid body in which a filter body is arranged in the lid portion near the through hole; and the A container is detachably fittable into the upper opening and the lower opening of the lid body. Using a filter device; (b) attaching the upper opening side of the lid to the opening of the first A container for containing the sample to be filtered; (c) attaching the upper opening side of the lid to the lower opening side of the lid. There is provided a filtering method in which after mounting the second A container, the sample in the first A container is introduced into the second A container by passing through the filter body.

[0010]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings as necessary.

(Filter Device) FIG. 1 shows a schematic side sectional view of a preferred embodiment of the filter device of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1 (a), the filter device according to this embodiment has a hollow cylindrical first A container 1 having an opening at its upper end and a hollow cylinder which is detachably fitted into the opening. 2 having a through hole 2a in the up-down direction at the bottom of the portion
And a filter body 3 arranged in the vicinity of the through hole 2a. As shown in FIG. 1A, the A container 1 is
The lid 2 is also configured so as to be attachable to and detachable from the upper through hole 2b side.

Referring to FIG. 1B, a B container 12 having an opening whose shape or size is different from that of the A container 12 described above.
Is fitted in the hole 2 a side of the lid 2. As shown in FIG. 1B, the B container 12 can be fitted into the lid body 2 at a position different from that of the A container 1 (FIG. 1A).

(Filtering Method) A preferred embodiment of a filtering method using the filter device of this aspect is shown in the schematic sectional view of FIG.

With reference to FIG. 2, the sample 4 to be filtered is put in the first A container 1 (FIG. 2A), and the second A container 11 is placed in the first A container 1. The fitted lid 2 (the filter 3 in the lid 2 is not shown) is attached (FIG. 2).
(B) and (c)). Then, the entire filter device thus fitted to each other is turned upside down (see FIG.
(D)), using centrifugal processing or the like as necessary,
The sample 4 in the A container 1 is passed through the filter body (arranged in the lid body 2) and introduced into the second A container 11 to perform the filtering process (FIG. 2E). . In this way, the sample 4 after the filter treatment is treated with the second A in a manner in which contamination or sample loss is significantly reduced.
It can be obtained in the container 11 (FIG. 2 (f)).

When performing such a filter process, a centrifugal process or a syringe (not shown) may be performed, if necessary.
By increasing or decreasing the pressure using a known means such as the above, the efficiency of the filtering process may be improved. At the time of pressurizing / depressurizing, for example, a pressurizing / depressurizing means such as a syringe and the lid body 2 on which the filter body 3 is mounted may be arranged in a substantially contact state.

Sample 4 thus filtered once
When a filter process (the same kind or different kind of filter process) is further performed in (FIG. 2 (f)), the above-described FIG.
The operations (f) to (f) may be repeated as many times as necessary. When performing different kinds of filter processing, the type of the filter body 3 (FIG. 1) arranged in the lid body 2 may be changed. For example, different kinds of filter treatment can be efficiently performed by using a cation exchange resin as the filter body 3 in the first operation and using an anion exchange resin in the second operation.

According to the present invention, such repetitive filter operation can be performed in a mode in which contamination or sample loss is significantly reduced.

Sample 4 after filtering obtained as described above
From the viewpoint of preventing contamination (FIG. 2 (f)), the B container 12 having an opening that can be fitted into the opening of the A container 11 may be attached to the A container 11 if necessary. .

(A container) FIG. 3 is a partial schematic sectional view of a preferred embodiment of the above A container 1, FIG. 4 is a partially enlarged sectional view of part A (FIG. 3) of the A container of this embodiment, and FIG. FIG. 5 shows a partially enlarged cross-sectional view of the B portion (FIG. 3) of the A container of FIG.

With reference to FIG. 4, it is preferable to provide the recess 1a at the bottom of the A container 1 in this way in terms of "burr" depression due to resin injection during molding of the container. With reference to FIG. 5, the A container 1 of this embodiment has an external step 1b, and / or
Alternatively, it is preferable to provide the convex portion 1c. This external step 1
The presence of b is preferable in that the fitting with the B container 12 (FIG. 1 (b)) described above can be performed easily and reliably.

As shown in FIG. 5, the height n of the external step 1b and the height p of the convex portion 1c differ depending on the flexibility and / or the wall thickness m of the container material, but are usually as follows. Preferably. That is, the ratio (n / m) of the height n to the wall thickness m of the A container 1 is about 1/2 to 2/3, which means that the purpose of providing the step portion 1b and the step portion 1b itself are. It is preferable in terms of balance with durability.

The above-mentioned convex portion 1c (FIG. 5) is the B container 12
This corresponds to a recess 12d described later. The convex portion 1
The ratio of the height p of c to the height n of the internal stepped portion 12b (p /
It is preferable that n) is about 1/2 to 2/3 from the viewpoint of the balance between the purpose of providing the stepped convex portion 1c and the durability of the convex portion 1c itself.

(B container) FIG. 6 is a partial schematic sectional view of a preferred embodiment of the B container 12 described above, FIG. 7 is a partially enlarged sectional view of the portion A (FIG. 6) of the B container of this embodiment, and FIG. FIG. 8 shows a partially enlarged sectional view of a B portion (FIG. 6) of the B container of FIG.

With reference to FIG. 6, it is preferable to provide the recess 12a at the bottom of the B container 12 in this way in terms of "burr" depression due to resin injection during molding of the container. With reference to FIG. 7, the internal step portion 12 is provided in the B container 12 of this embodiment.
It is preferable to provide b, the external step 12c, and / or the recess 12d. The presence of the internal step 12b or the external step 12c is preferable in that the fitting with the A container 1 (FIG. 1) described above can be performed easily and reliably. Further, the presence of the recess 12d provided inside the B container is preferable from the viewpoint of ensuring the fitting with the A container 1. From the viewpoint of further facilitating the fitting with the A container 1, it is preferable to provide a tapered portion 12e as shown in FIG. 8 inside the B container 12.

The depth of the step or the recess varies depending on the flexibility of the material of the container and / or the wall thickness r, but it is usually preferable to set it as follows. That is, the internal step 12
b or the height q of the external step 12c is such that the ratio (q / r) to the wall thickness r of the B container 12 is about 1/2 to 2/3. It is preferable in terms of the balance with the durability of the part itself.

The above-mentioned recess 12d is the above-mentioned A container 1
Corresponding to the convex portion 1c (the convex portion 1c can be arranged therein). The height s of the recess 12d and the internal step portion 1
The ratio (s / q) of the height 2b to the height q is about 1/2 to 2/3, which means that the step recess 12d is provided and the recess 12d.
It is preferable in terms of balance with the durability of itself.

FIG. 9 is a partial schematic sectional view of a preferred embodiment of the lid 2 described above, FIG. 10 is a partially enlarged sectional view of the portion A (FIG. 9) of the lid 2 of this embodiment, and FIG. FIG. 11 shows a partially enlarged cross-sectional view of the B part (FIG. 9) of No. 2.

Referring to FIG. 10, the first outer step 2c of the lid 2 has a function of a stopper for the A container 1,
With respect to the B container 12, it has a function of a spacer that prevents complete contact with the B container 12 and “gases out” when the sample 4 (FIG. 2) flows into the B container 12. Further, the second outer step 2d prevents the A container 1 from completely adhering to the A container 1 and prevents "gas release" accompanying the inflow of the sample 4 (FIG. 2) into the A container 1. It has the function of a spacer. It is preferable that a plurality of steps 2c and 2d having such a function are provided on the outer peripheral portion of the lid body 2 as shown in FIG. The number of steps is preferably about 15 to 25.

The height of the step depends on the flexibility of the container material and / or
Alternatively, it is usually preferable to do the following, though it depends on the wall thickness w. That is, from the viewpoint of effectively exhibiting these functions, the height t of the first step portion 2c has a ratio (t / w) to the wall thickness w of the lid body 2 of about 1/4 to 1/3. Is preferred. Further, the height u of the second step portion 2d is such that the ratio (u / w) to the wall thickness w of the lid body 2 is 1/4 to
It is preferably about 1/3.

The height of the step and the depth of the recess differ depending on the flexibility and / or the wall thickness h of the material of the container, but it is usually preferable to set it as follows. That is, FIG.
With reference to, the internal step 2 e of the lid 2 has a function of a stopper for the A container 1. From the viewpoint of effectively exhibiting this function, the height f of the inner stepped portion 2e is preferably about 1/4 to 1/3 of the ratio (f / h) to the wall thickness h of the lid 2. .

As shown in FIG. 11, inside the lid body 2,
It is preferable to provide the recess 2f. This recess 2f is
It corresponds to the external convex portion 1c of the container 1. The depth j of the recess 2f is a ratio (j / h) to the wall thickness h of the lid 2.
Is preferably about 1/2 to 2/3.

FIG. 12 shows a preferred shape of the bottom of the lid 2 (on the side of the filter body). The shape of the bottom is not particularly limited as long as the filter body can be suitably held inside the lid body 2.

Next, the structure of each part of the filter device of the present invention will be described.

(A container or B container) A container 1 or B
The container 12 is preferably made of a transparent or translucent material. More specifically, the A container 1 to the B container 12 are made of an inorganic material such as glass or plastic (for example, polystyrene, polyethylene terephthalate (PE
T), acrylic resin, polyolefin resin) or the like, the A container 1 to the B container 12 can be formed by considering the weight and the possibility of damage during centrifugal treatment. It is preferably made of plastic.

When the A container 1 to the B container 12 have a hollow cylindrical shape (test tube shape), the ratio c / d between the diameter c and the height (vertical length) d is 1. / 8 to 1 /
It is preferably about 2, and more preferably about 1/6 to 1/3.

The sizes of the A container 1 to the B container 12 are not particularly limited, but from the viewpoint of convenience of operations such as centrifugation,
The diameter c is preferably about 1 to 2 cm, and the height d is preferably about 3 to 8 cm.

The shapes of the A container 1 to the B container 12 are not particularly limited as long as the upper end has an opening and the lid 2 can be removably attached to the opening. More specifically, for example, in addition to the illustrated test tube, it may be in a container shape such as a flask shape or a bottle shape.

(Lid) The material forming the lid 2 is not particularly limited, but the possibility of breakage of the A container 1 to B container 12 is reduced, and the adhesiveness with the A container 1 to B container 12 is low. From the viewpoint of increasing the temperature, the lid 2 is preferably made of a material softer than the A container 1 to the B container 12. More specifically, when the A container 1 to the B container 12 are made of a hard plastic or a hard resin such as polystyrene or PET, the lid 2 is made of a soft plastic or a soft resin such as polyolefin (including an elastic body or an elastomer). It is used for the purpose).

(Filter Body) The filter body used in the present invention can be appropriately selected according to the kind of the target filtering process. More specifically, the filter body 3
Examples include, for example, membrane filters, prefilters, transfer membranes for DNA / RNA analysis, ion exchange cellulose filter paper, sample concentration, removal for removal of particles, sterilization, clarification filtration, microbial analysis, environmental analysis, etc. An ultrafiltration membrane for proteins can be preferably used.

As the filter body 3, a fibrous ion exchange resin can also be used. As such fiber-like ion exchange resin, ion-exchange fiber is punched felt,
A filter paper (paper) shape is preferably used by a method such as woven fabric, knitted fabric, and non-woven fabric. Here, the ion-exchange fiber means a composite fiber spun and stretched by any method (for example, in the presence of formaldehyde, sulfuric acid-
It is a fiber in which cross-linking is made insoluble by unsaturated fatty acid) and ion-exchange groups such as cation-exchange group and anion-exchange group are introduced into the cross-linking-insoluble fiber. As the above-mentioned composite fiber, a composite fiber composed of so-called sea component and island component is preferably used. As the ion-exchange polymer (polymer capable of introducing an ion-exchange group), which is the main component of the sea component,
Poly (monovinyl aromatic compound) such as polystyrene is preferably used, and poly (α-olefin) such as polyethylene or polypropylene is preferably used as the island component as a reinforcing component.

The fineness of the filter fiber is preferably about 1 to 50 d, and the fiber strength thereof is preferably 0.5 g / d or more. In the present invention, the fibrous ion exchange resin 3 preferably has a thickness of, for example, about 200 to 250 μm.

A commercially available product can be used as the filter fiber or filter paper as described above.
For example, as a fibrous ion exchange resin, trade name: IONE
X (manufactured by Toray) and RX-1 (manufactured by Toray) as a filter paper can be preferably used.

[0044]

As described above, by using the filter device of the present invention, it is possible to carry out a simple and quick filtering process while preventing contamination and sample loss. Further, by using the filter device of the present invention, it becomes easy to filter a plurality of times or a large number of samples.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic side sectional view showing an aspect of a filter device of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic side sectional view for explaining an example of how to use the filter device of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a schematic plan view showing an aspect of an A container.

FIG. 4 is a partial enlarged schematic cross-sectional view of a bottom portion (A portion in FIG. 3) of an A container.

5 is a partially enlarged schematic cross-sectional view of the vicinity of the opening of the container A (portion B in FIG. 3).

FIG. 6 is a schematic plan view showing an aspect of a B container.

FIG. 7 is a partially enlarged schematic cross-sectional view of the bottom portion (B portion of FIG. 6) of the B container.

8 is a partially enlarged schematic cross-sectional view of the vicinity of the opening of the B container (B portion in FIG. 6).

FIG. 9 is a schematic plan view showing an aspect of a lid.

FIG. 10 is a partially enlarged schematic cross-sectional view of a first step portion (portion A in FIG. 9) of the lid body.

FIG. 11 is a partially enlarged schematic cross-sectional view of a lid second step (portion B in FIG. 9).

FIG. 12 is a schematic plan view of a lid bottom portion.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... A container, 2 ... lid body, 3 ... filter body, 4 ... sample,
11 ... Other A container, 12 ... B container.

Claims (9)

[Claims] 1. A container having an opening at an upper end thereof, and a lid body detachably fitted in the opening of the A container,
A lid body having a through hole in the up-down direction and having a filter body disposed in a lid body portion in the vicinity of the through hole, and the A container is provided in both an upper opening and a lower opening of the lid body. A filter device which is detachably insertable. 2. The filter device according to claim 1, wherein one opening of the lid has a shape capable of being fitted into a B container having an opening shape different from that of the A container. 3. The container A has a hollow cylindrical shape.
Or the filter device according to 2. 4. The container B has a hollow cylindrical shape.
The filter device according to. 5. The filter device according to claim 2, wherein the lid body has a stopper that makes the fitting positions of the A container and the B container different from each other. 6. The filter device according to claim 2, wherein the B container has an opening capable of fitting with the A container. 7. (a) A container having an opening at the upper end,
A lid body detachably fitted into the opening of the A container, the lid body having a through hole in the up-and-down direction, and the filter body being arranged in the lid body portion near the through hole. And (b) a first A container that contains a sample to be filtered, using a filter device in which the A container is removably insertable into the upper opening and the lower opening of the lid. (C) After mounting the second A container on the lower opening side of the lid, the sample in the first A container is A filter processing method of performing a filter process by passing the filter body and introducing it into the second A container. 8. A second container A containing the sample after the filter treatment therein; the container B having an opening that can be fitted into the opening of the container A is attached to the opening side. The filter processing method according to claim 7. 9. The filtering method according to claim 7, wherein the filtering processes of steps (b) and (c) are repeated a plurality of times.